Minka Kelly’s Secret to Sexy Abs

We've got Minka Kelly's favorite workout, but it takes more than four magic moves to get a body like hers. So, what's her secret? Getting in the right fitness mindset, so she can reap mental, emotional and physical benefits.

Looking good is part of Kelly’s job–right now, you can catch her on the big-screen in The Roommate and on TV in NBC’s Parenthood–but to hit the gym on a regular basis, the actress needs a little more motivation than that.

She says, “I have a picture I ripped out of a magazine of this girl. It’s a Nike ad. On it, it says, ‘Make yourself proud.’ She’s sweaty because she just finished working out and she just looks really fit. I look at that and it reminds me to work to be healthy every single day. Some days you don’t, but as long as you come back the next day and get back on track, that’s all you can do.”

When Kelly needs an extra push, she downloads music videos. “I can zone out for a very long time to beautiful music videos, especially the ones Beyonce makes,” she explains. “It just makes you want to run harder, because you’re like, I want that body! It helps.” Her favorite video is “Why Don’t You Love Me.” “That really gets me running.”

Her trainer, Gunner Peterson, also gives her motivation. “There are days when I wake up and my body is tired and I’ll give myself permission to skip the gym because there’s no one waiting for me at the gym. I just know that if I don’t go, I’ll feel a certain way the next day,” she says. “The only workouts I don’t miss are my three days a week with Gunner.”

For Kelly, exercise is more mental than it is about muscle. “When I’m at the gym, I’m not thinking about anything else but my running, my breathing,” she explains. “It’s all about me and only me for those 45 minutes. And I’m giving myself that time to not let anyone in my world or to bother anyone else in theirs. Once you’re able to clear your head like that, it’s easier to put things in perspective and know what’s important and what isn’t important.”